A fan holds a baseball card and a pen while waiting for autographs from Yankees star Aaron Judge before a game between the Yankees and the Chicago White Sox in Chicago in May 2022. Associated Press file
A while back I wrote a tongue-in-cheek glossary of terms from the hobby of sports cards – sorry, the hobby. There was just one problem: I had to cut out a lot of things for space reasons and to keep readers alert.
Inspired by the recent National Sports Collectors’ Convention (sadly I wasn’t there), I present another list of terms and definitions for hobby newbies and veterans alike. I’d suggest you compare this to the original, as some terms used here were mentioned in the previous column (where I made a sarcastic remark about Jarren Duran being an All-Star one day – sorry!).
And remember, it’s all about having fun. Collect what you love!
1/1: A card with a print run of only one copy. 1/1 one Hobby God can aim for amounts that 1909 T206 Honus Wagner map look Scrap wax in comparison.
1909 T206 Honus Wagner Map: The most famous sports card of all time. Fewer than 100 copies exist after it was taken out of production because Wagner allegedly did not want Children to see his picture on a product advertising tobacco – although another card shows him in the process of shoving a large piece of chewy candy into his mouth.
1989 Fleer Bill Ripken FF Card: An infamous card of Cal Ripken’s untalented brother holding a baseball bat with an F-word on the handle. Referred to in the Beckett magazines as the “Rick Face” card. Who the hell is Rick?
Barry Bonds: The home run king of all time and the subject of an amazing psychological study: everyone despises him (at least outside the Bay Area and maybe Pittsburgh), but still wants to spend a lot of money on his cards.
Big store: Where collectors/investors go every day in the hope of getting their money for Blaster and ignore things they really need, like a new faucet, a bookshelf, groceries…
Blasters: A box with several decks of cards. Also something investors can buy for $25 at large supermarkets and charge $50 online.
Bragging: The other hobby of most collectors and investors who can’t wait to showcase their drawings on message boards and/or social media.
Archer: 1) Home of the rookie card, not to mention overpriced Blaster by investors on eBay. 2) Topps’ former competitor until he bought it in 1956 and created a 24-year monopoly, essentially The hobby‘s version of Vince McMahon’s purchase of WCW.
Card show: This is where collectors meet to buy and sell cards and other sports memorabilia, usually from glittering Diversity these days. See The National.
Chrome: The difference between a Mookie Betts rookie card worth $20 and a card worth $200 because it Short print And glittering.
Together: A card of an ordinary player. Nowadays, anyone who is not a Hobby God could just as well be a together.
Complete set (arch.): Nobody tries to build complete sets anymore, silly. That would hinder finding rookie cards, relics, or cars.
Dealer: People who earn their living by selling tickets. They used to sell LCSare now mostly found on eBay. Many Dealer of the 1980s and 1990s looked and acted like the Comic Book Guy on The Simpsons.
Fanatic: A multi-billion dollar sporting goods monolith that paid a fortune a few years ago for the exclusive rights to produce MLB, NBA and NFL cards and now owns the Topps brand, which has angered longtime collectors, even those who constantly complain about Topps’ products in the same breath.
Greg Jefferies: Notorious, overrated Mets prospect whose 1988 Donruss rookie card once sold for more than the entire set does today. Many Dealer of overcrowded, overpriced Scrap wax still seems to have hope that he could make it after all. (OK, he had a good career, but he certainly wasn’t Mickey Mantle reincarnated.)
Rubber: What Topps in his cards for decades until collectors complained that it stuck to the cards and caused stains. So Topps took the rubberand the collectors turned around and complained about it too.
Story: Something that most people in The hobby do not learn from (e.g. rookie card hysteria about players like Gregg Jefferies then or Jo Adell today).
Jo Adell was once a highly touted talent, but his career in the major leagues has been rather disappointing so far. Associated Press file
Hobby elitists: People, who brag about having only the best cards available; anything rated below a PSA 9 might as well be Scrap wax. They only buy from eBay sellers with a 100% approval rating. Anyone with 99.9% or less will be blocked. Modern elitists only collect glittering Chrome Refractor Auto Relic Rookie Cards and would never be caught dead buying products at a big store.
Hobby God: A sports legend of all time, whose tickets are sought after everywhere. Hobby Gods These include wonderful people like Pete Rose and Barry Bonds.
Jefferson Burdick: The inventor of The hobby, whose massive vintage collection is exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Collectors must make a pilgrimage to his former house in Syracuse at least once in their lives and vintage Cards as a tribute. Ironically, Mr. Burdick was not a baseball fan.
Junk Wax Era: Term used to describe a period of extreme overproduction of sports cards, from about 1987 to 1992, but some Hobby elitists will have you believe it began after World War II and ended during Obama’s first term. The “wax” is a reference to the wax wrappers the cards were packaged in.
Children: The former backbone of the The hobbyuntil it was overtaken by pale, middle-aged guys who could afford to spend $10-15 on a new pack Archer. (You can still occasionally see children at map shows, They resemble a mini-me of Michael Douglas in “Wall Street” as they wear metal Halliburtons that are glittering Cards.)
LCS: 1) Mlocal Card SCrack (possibly arch; see Dealer). Meague Cchampionship Serie, home of long games with about 25 pitcher changes before the 7th inning break.
Mr Mint: A hardcore investor who boasted about his high-quality finds in full-page ads in hobby magazines in the 1980s and 90s. Another amazing study in human psychology: By all accounts, he treated people like cow patties, but they still practically got down on their hands and knees to do business with him. Only in The hobby or Pro Wrestling could be someone like Mr Mint exist.
Rest in peace: Hip term for the simple act of opening a box or deck of cards. Many collectors/investors will brag about a good move after a rest in peace. When they make a bad catch, rippers often feel cheated.
Refractor: How Chrome, only shinier.
Reprint: A new edition of a classic older card, like the 1909 T206 Honus Wagner mapAnd most of us will be familiar with owning a vintage Rookie card one Hobby God.
Short version: A card with a smaller circulation than other cards in a Complete setUsed as an instrument of death by Topps for certain brands where most short prints Hobby Gods. In the vintage Era, card companies short prints cards to keep Children come back to the store to buy more rubber.
Glittering: Derogatory term for vintage Collector to describe the modern product that emphasizes chromeCars and relics versus traditional base cards.
The National: Short for the National Sports Collectors Convention, where pale, middle-aged men in team jerseys and cargo shorts meet every year to spend their life savings on tickets and wait in line for hours to get autographs from grumpy old-time athletes. Not a recommended place to take a woman on a first date.
Upper deck: The company that introduced high package prices and thus effectively Children out of The hobby forever and puts it firmly in the hands of — watch out — pale, middle-aged guys. Upper Deck primarily produces hockey cards these days.
Vintage: A very unusual term for old maps. Many Hobby elitists I think the vintage era ended with Prohibition.
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